Pre-summarization and analysis of results generated by an agent

• US 20080155011A1
• Filed: 02/29/2008
• Published: 06/26/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/12/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NetApp, Inc.
• Original Assignee: NetApp, Inc.
• Inventors: Swartzlander, Benjamin, Deshmukh, Vijay
• Granted Patent: US 8,990,285 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/202
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/10 File systems; File servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1097 for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99931 Database or file accessing

Abstract

According to an embodiment of the invention, an agent scans a storage server, and collects information about files stored on the storage server. The agent then summarizes the information into a summary, and stores the summary on a database server. The summaries can be accessed by a system administrator using a graphical user interface (GUI). The summaries contain information about the use of the storage server, and highlight potential problem areas. By having an agent, rather than a multi-appliance management application (MMA) scan the storage server and create the summary, the MMA is able to perform other tasks.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

distributing a plurality of agent devices over one or more networks;

collecting, by the agent devices, information about data maintained by one or more storage servers over the one or more networks; and

sending the collected information from the agent devices to a multi-appliance management application (MMA), wherein each of the agent devices, the MMA, and the one or more storage servers are separate devices.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the agent devices, while collecting the information from the storage servers, use a file system that the storage servers do not use for maintaining the files.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein one or more of the agent devices uses a file system different from a file system that one or more of the other agents use.

4. A system comprising:

a multi-appliance management application (MMA) to manage one or more storage servers over one or more networks; and

a plurality of agents distributed over the one or more networks, the plurality of agents collecting information about data maintained by the one or more storage servers and sending the collected information to the MMA,

wherein each of the plurality of agents, the MMA, and the one or more storage servers are separate devices.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein one or more of the plurality of agents, while collecting the information from the one or more storage servers, use a file system that the one or more storage servers do not use for maintaining the files.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein one or more of the plurality of agents uses a file system different from a file system that one or more of the other agents use.